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Wednesday, January 17, 2018

We tend to use AmblesideOnline's 2017/18 hymn selections most years simply because it's so handy to have them thoughtfully picked out for us. We ♡ AmblesideOnline!

Today, we're playing the playlist I created for the 2017/18 school year with the option set to shuffle.* We really like listening to our hymns as background music. While there are other viable options on YouTube, some recordings out there don't lend themselves very well to that!

Sometimes we use the videos to learn a new hymn or one we don't know very well. In that case, we play the video on my laptop during Jovi'oval Time and sing along reading from the screen or from Our Family Hymnbooks. You might like to do something similar. The hymns embedded below should work pretty well.

Enjoy!

*{There are several versions of each hymn, if you listen to the playlist as-is you will hear each hymn 2-5 times in a row. Even if each one is different that's a little too repetitive for me. Setting it to shuffle allows the songs to play out of order. I use bluetooth from my iPhone to my Bose SoundLink mini speaker (it's small enough that I literally travel everywhere with it). It's my favorite way to play the songs at lunchtime or all throughout the day. }

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The hymns in the playlist have been chosen with the following criteria:
1) presentation - must be well sung;
2) listenability - must have a high quality sound recording and be bearable as background music;
3) singability - sing-a-long-able-ness is nice;
4) lyrics on screen - a plus but not a requirement for this list

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The hymns included below meet the standards above but have lyrics on screen (link provided when not):

Friday, November 11, 2016

I have two fledgling birds about to fly the nest. And I am so proud. We have worked hard, failed big, learned much and lived well. Their big adventure is no longer waiting on the horizon, it is now. And they are going to continue to do beautifully. I am confident.

Of course, all that means my role is changing; as it has been since the day they were born. I remember back to when I was their only sustenance. Little by little, they grew and looked outward. I set the table for them. They learned to feed themselves, heaping their plates full with great ideas. I was their companion and guide. I will always be that. But, soon a host of other influences and activities will attract their attention and fill most of their moments.
And they will fly.

This is just as it should be.

Even so, it is stretching. And a little scary. And teary.
When I look at these men, I remember my babies. I know them so well.
How will we navigate these unfamiliar waters?

In some ways, it feels rather similar to what we’re experiencing as a nation. Things are about to change. It feels a little unsettling because we don’t know how it will go. But we love our country. We’ve come so far. We have worked hard, failed big, learned much and lived well. Our big adventure is no longer waiting on the horizon, it is now. And we are fully capable of doing beautifully. I am confident.

In order to secure success, there are some things we must not forget. Nations and sons alike.
So today, with much to sum up in just a few words, I’ve chosen these:

To my Sons (and Fellow Citizens):

"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all you do be done in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Be watchful.

Look for your Savior to save you every. single. day.
Stay awake - watch and pray.
Be on your guard to resist the flesh and the prowling devil that would devour.
Look for opportunities to do right, to be kind and to serve.

Stand firm in the faith.

Hold fast to the One at whose word even the wind and the sea obey.
Obey that voice, and love it, for He is your life and length of days.*
Strive side by side with one mind.* Remember freedom.*
Do not waver.

Act like men, be strong.

Here is an idea that may benefit from some expansion. When you think strong, what do you think of? You may at first envision biceps and sit-ups and being the winning buck of any contest. You are young men, after all.* But is that what it is to act like men? To be strong?

First of all, I can generously and safely assume the apostle is not being sexist because I know that God is not; and Paul is speaking for God here. He is applying to our knowledge of the nature of things and what we tend to think of (or at least traditionally thought) when we think of the role of men. Neither is he speaking of bodily strength only, which has some value. He is asking men, who are image-bearers, to be like God; to be strong.* The strong bear with the weak* and overcome evil. In this sense, the same goes for women also.

Sons of my heart and fellow Americans, it requires great courage, with a steady strength of character and of will, to remain watchful, full of faith, strong and in all things loving. This is my expectation for you. To be. To act. Let these be characteristic of all your dealings - as under authority, with your King, with yourself, with your closest ones and with the world at large.

Be strong and of good courage. You are never alone.*

Let all you do be done in love.

In all that you do, love. Rather a sweeping statement, no? A charge with such magnitude and scope will require special attention and much care. We were made to love, but we have been bent and broken by sin. When we want to do right, evil lies close at hand.* We have made and will make mistakes, but love seeks to covers offenses and in so doing, a multitude of sins.* If we live by the Spirit, let’s walk with Him in love. We can do nothing otherwise.*

Love; because even if I am ever watchful and faithful and strong but have not love… I am nothing, neither gain anything. Love generously, deeply, sympathetically, courageously and gladly. It is the greatest of all. While it will often require the momentary pain of self-denial, an inconvenient cross-bearing or perhaps long-suffering, it is a life-saving and worthy endeavor in which you and I can expect full success.

"But how good and pleasant it is to know that at the heart of all things is our God, who wills the good and right behaviour of every creature in His universe, and who enables us all for right doing, for that fulfilling of His law in which all things work together for good! Our little lives are no longer small and poor when we think of the great things of the world. They are a necessary part of the great whole, ordered under law, fulfilling His will, and singing as the morning stars in the gladness of obedience."

Charlotte Mason, Ourselves pg 124

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.*

P.S. May I make a reading recommendation for all Sons and Citizens in these turbulant days? Love really is the greatest of all. It is what the world needs more than ever. Our knowledge and experience of love began with God and it falls to us to continue to reflect this to the world. In these days, while the love of many will continue to grow cold, as a body, we are to continue to grow, being built up in love. In addition to the Bible texts that hold love on high, Charlotte Mason has written such sweet words of help in her book, Ourselves. I have found much consolation and conviction, over the past several weeks, especially in regard to the recent political climate, in Part III, The House of Heart, Lords of the Heart: Love (Chapters I - XI): The Ways of Love and Love’s Lords in Waiting: Pity, Benevolence, Sympathy, Kindness, Generosity, Gratitude, Courage, Loyalty, Humility, Gladness.

"Have you ever thrown a stone into the water and watched the circles about it spread? As a matter of fact, they spread to the very shores of the pond or lake or sea into which you have thrown the stone; more, they affect the land on the further side. But those distant circles become so faint that they are imperceptible, while those nearest the point where you have thrown in the stone are clearly marked. So it is with our Love. It is as if, in the first place, our home were the stone thrown in to move our being; and from that central point the circle of our love widens until it embraces all men".
Charlotte Mason, Ourselves pg 82

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Thank you for joining us at the September 2016 edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival!
Many of us are embarking on a brand spankin' new schoolyear, so readers can fully expect many scheduling and planning posts this month along with first day of school pictures and the like. Bloggers be sure to include posts about what you all have been doing over the summer as well!

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The way a blog carnival works is: throughout the month as they blog, CM bloggers can add the link to their posts to the linky below so that the rest of us can easily find them, pop over to their blogs and enjoy learning something from them!

It’s like Charlotte Mason Blog Central. Or that’s the idea anyway. :)

ALL Charlotte Mason educational posts are welcome!!

Readers may want to check back again towards the end of the month for the latest additions. Bloggers, please feel free to link up as many additional posts as you’d like between now and the end of November.

This carnival will accept posts through November, so save the link and come back to share again!

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

How was your Easter holiday? Surely you've been tiptoeing through tulips and dancing in the daffodils? Well, by all means, Enjoy Every Minute! Lucky for us we are up and ready again for another edition of the CMBC. If you are like me, you're looking forward to a bunch more CM awesomeness in April!

In the last edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival we had some really great posts from some really wonderful CM educators, 47 posts to be precise! Readers, if you haven't had a chance yet, you may still want to take a peek over there. Bloggers, hopefully you've been saving up all your posts from March and will have lots of posts to share with us this month!

The way a blog carnival works is: throughout the month as they blog, CM bloggers add the URL of their posts to the linky below so that the rest of us can easily find them, pop over to their blogs and enjoy learning something or just hanging out with them!

Readers may want to check back again towards the end of the month for the latest additions. Bloggers, please feel free to link up as many additional posts as you’d like between now and the end of the month.

Please pass along the link to all of your CM friends, the more the merrier!

ENJOY!

NOTE: We normally don't accept advertisements as part of the CMBC. I am making a one-time exception completely in my own personal interest! ;) I'd like to give a shameless plug for the AmblesideOnline conference in May! There are only a few spots left! (Check that link for info on talks and breakouts sessions)! I will be flying all the way from Peru to hang out with my AO lovelies in Texas and would love to see some of you there! If you do decide to go and first heard about it here, will you let me know? There might just could be a surprise in store for you! :) There are many refreshing Charlotte Mason inspired retreats and conferences nowadays but this may be the only one I can attend this year and will certainly be the last AO event of consequence for a while.

So, if you can, please come!
Mugs, bookbags and other cool stuff like this will be available there... ;)

Monday, February 1, 2016

Thank you for joining us at the first 2016 edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival!

Happy February to you! We're just back from a longer break than usual. Perhaps for that reason, you will have saved up tons of posts to share in the coming months! Hopefully, you enjoyed your holidays and have settled back into a little bit of normal. How is winter coming? What are your kids learning? Are you working on certain areas of your own education? Please share!

The way a blog carnival works is: throughout the month as they blog, CM bloggers can add the link to their posts to the linky below so that the rest of us can easily find them, pop over to their blogs and enjoy learning something or just hanging out with them!

Readers may want to check back again towards the end of the month for the latest additions. Bloggers, please feel free to link up as many additional posts as you’d like between now and the end of the month.

Share more posts throughout the month here:

Please pass along the link to all of your CM friends, the more the merrier!

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Welcome back! It's great to have you here again. Did you enjoy October's carnival at Simply Charlotte Mason? If you didn't have a chance to see it, it's HERE if you'd like to pop over there!

Your participation is much appreciated! Now, wouldn't it be a fun to see if we could gather up as many or more gems this time around? The more shared, more there is to read. The more there is to read, the more to think, communicate and learn about. Whoever you are, blogger or reader, will you consider sharing some bloggy love this month?!

Readers may want to check back again near the end of the month for the latest additions. Also, bloggers, please feel free to link up any additional posts to the linky below, you may also submit a post by e-mail anytime between now and the end of the month.

Please enjoy this month's blog post contributions full of fall, winter and holiday themes as well as the always helpful posts on implementation of Charlotte Mason ideas!

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Welcome! For many of you school is newly up-and-running again or is very-soon-to-be!
Cooler weather on the forecast? Oh, yes.
That thrill of pulling new books out and already loved books off the shelf...
New pencils, notebooks, paints...
Lists, lists, and more lists... ah. the glory of it all.

Happy September!

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"Give him opportunities of loving and learning, and he will love and learn, for 'tis his nature to.'" vol.2 p71

A photo posted by Charlotte Mason Living (@charlottemasonliving) on Aug 24, 2015 at 8:44am PDT

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"The thing best worth living for is to be of use," was well said lately by a thinker who has left us; and the child into whose notion of life that idea is fitted will not grow up to find time heavy on his hands. The life blessed with an enthusiasm will not be dull; but a weight must go into the opposite scale to balance even the noblest enthusiasm. As we have said, open for him some door of natural science, some way of mechanical skill; in a word, give the child an absorbing pursuit and a fascinating hobby, and you need not fear eccentric or unworthy developments. vol.2 p82

If you haven't had a chance yet, don't forget to check out last several month's carnivals!

Next month the CMBC will go visiting! We will be generously hosted by Sonya at SimplyCharlotteMason.com! Submit your most inspiring blog posts via e-mail to be considered as one of the special features in the October edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival.